<< I tell them that grades are not the primary reason to be in school,
learning
is. >>

I've had to give grades, and personally, it annoys me when kids ask , "What
did I get?" I want them to learn and do for Art's sake, to enjoy it! In my
home K-6 district, my kids' report cards only had grades for academic
subjects. There was a line on the card that stated: YOU MAY ASSUME YOUR
CHILD IS PERFORMING SUCCESSFULLY IN ART, MUSIC AND PE, UNLESS OTHERWISE
INDICATED. I felt that that was the perfect way to grade-- it took the
burden of grading away from the teacher, while still providing an avenue to
deal with non-performance. When I was grading 550 kids in Acheivement,
effort and conduct the last two years, there were times I wished I had this
"easier" out!